This invention relates to a vehicle restraint device for protecting occupants of a vehicle against injuries which would otherwise be suffered because of rapid deceleration of a vehicle, as in a collision.
When a vehicle is involved in an accident, there is a probability that the occupant will be thrown forward violently, striking the windshield or some other part of the vehicle, thereby sustaining injuries. In recent years several public interest groups and the Federal Government have pushed for some type of safety restraint system which could protect the occupant against such injuries and it is currently expected that all vehicles, starting with the 1981 model year, will be required to incorporate such restraint devices.
Conventional inflatable occupant restraint devices are mounted in various places in a vehicle, such as the dashboard, horn hub, the front seat back and the roof, and are inflated upon impact above a predetermined magnitude.
One occupant restraint device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,774,936, Barnett et al, where a roof mounted inflatable cushion is located at a predetermined position above and in front of a seated passenger. The system provides a rearward and downward restraining force and provides a cushioned barrier for the passenger through the use of a roof installed pulley and continuous loop cable system.
Another type of roof mounted airbag system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,834,606, Bertrand, for protecting passengers from being thrown against non-yielding parts of the vehicle. Upon impact, the entire passenger compartment is filled with inflated airbags released from overhead, beneath the dashboard, from the back of the front seat and from doors.
Other roof mounted restraint devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,664,682, Wyceck, consisting of a rotatably mounted cushion and airbag inflated by tubing from an air pressure chamber, 3,753,576, Gorman, consisting of a system positioned behind the occupant which upon release curves over the occupant and encapsulates him within an airbag and an outer shield, and 3,836,168, Nonaka, which projects a net or cloth from behind to a position in front of the occupant from whence it is drawn downward and rearward by cables located within the back of the seat.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a safety device for the protection of an occupant when a vehicle is involved in a collision.
A further object is to provide a system of this type which is unobtrusive.
A still further object is to provide a safety restraint device which includes a protective airbag barrier and a pelvic and torso engaging restraint to restrain forward and upward motion of the occupant in case of an accident.
Another object of this invention is to provide a lock and release mechanism for a vehicle safety restraint device which is compact and with few moving parts.
Another object of this invention is to provide a lock and release mechanism for a vehicle safety restraint device which will rapidly release the safety restraint device when activated.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.